PSC candidate Tanner Newman promises to keep utility rates steady

“I will work to enact fair policies that are in the best interest of north Mississippi,” Newman said. “That includes reliable, accessible and affordable utility services.”

A native of Lee County, Newman launched his campaign for one of the highest offices in north Mississippi in the same spot where President Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed that Tupelo would be the first city in the nation to receive affordable power from the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Newman’s remarks also included an agreement to search for pragmatic solutions, a long characteristic of Lee County, and set aside scorched earth tactics, which are often found in other areas of the state.

“There is no place for polarizing politics in north Mississippi,” Newman said. “We realize the importance of pulling together for the betterment of our region.”

Since 2021, the 28-year-old Tupelo resident has led the department in Tupelo Mayor Todd Jordan’s administration that’s responsible for enforcing building codes and administering local planning and zoning ordinances.

Before joining Jordan’s municipal administration, he managed several local Republican campaigns and was a staffer for U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker.

Newman so far has launched a campaign centered on working to end robocalls, advancing policies to deploy broadband to rural areas and advocating for policies that protect the electric grid from powerful storms.

“There is no room in the lives of busy, hardworking north Mississippians for the interruption of robocalls, the interruption of cell service, the interruption of power or the interruption of broadband access,” Newman said.

The Public Service Commission is a three-member board that regulates telecommunications, electric, gas, water and sewer utilities. The three commission members are elected from different regions throughout the state.

But the commission in recent years has adopted efforts to bridge the digital divide in rural Mississippi as part of its mission.

Broadband Now, a consumer advocacy website, still ranks Mississippi near the bottom of access to quality broadband and estimates that 16% of the population remains without access to a high-speed wired broadband connection with the federal basic download speed.

Newman told the Daily Journal after his remarks that he wants to continue building on partnerships with electric cooperatives around the state who offer broadband internet, but he also wants to explore innovative solutions to deliver internet to rural communities.

“We will not stop until every resident and business in rural north Mississippi has access to high speed broadband,” Newman said.

Newman will compete against Mandy Gunasekara, a former chief of staff for the Environmental Protection Agency, in the Republican primary on Aug. 8.

Gunasekara is a native of Decatur, located in the east central part of the state. She worked in Washington for several years in energy policy roles and has lived in Oxford since 2018.